Celebrating, and chasing, the chanterelle

Up north, we have festivals celebrating the Morchella esculenta — the common morel mushroom.

But lesser known, and less celebrated, is the fluted fungus Cantharellus cibarius — the common chanterelle.

“Really, there are four kinds of chanterelles that grow in our area: The common chanterelle, the golden chanterelle, the cinnibar chanterelle and the yellowfoot or winter chanterelle,” said Ken Harris, a local mushroomer who’s starting a business called the Michigan Mushroom Market.

Each kind of chanterelle is growing right now, said Harris, and you will find different chanterelles in different habitats.

“Some prefer oak trees, some prefer beech trees, some prefer lower, flat land that’s a little wetter, and some prefer shade or are in hilly areas,” Harris said.

The chanterelle is prized by chefs and culinary enthusiasts for its flavor and prized by mushroom hunters for its high visibility.

“Unlike morel mushrooms, which really blend in with the landscape, especially with the dried leaves in the spring, these things are bright orange,” Harris said. “They stick out like a sore thumb.”

It is no exaggeration.

In the cool, shady midsummer brown of the forest floor, young chanterelles beam like golden coins, visible from yards away.

The chanterelle mushroom is a bloom of a fungus that lives in the soil and feeds off the nutrients unused by fine tree roots.

When they first pop through the duff of the forest floor, the chanterelle’s cap is rounded, like a button mushroom. As it matures, the leathery-surfaced fungus broadens and turns upward, like a vase or fluted glass.

“There are some look-alikes that you need to be concerned with,” said Harris. “Chanterelles are not the only orange mushrooms growing at this time of year.”

Harris recommends that a novice mushroom collector focus on one species of mushrooms while collecting — or to go with an experienced guide.

Differentiate between chanterelles and other orange mushrooms by a few characteristics.

“Key features of chanterelles are the ridges they have instead of the typical gill,” said Harris, “Ridges look like gills but are not true gills: They fuse into the mushroom’s stem.”

Gills are what you see on the underside of a button mushroom found in a grocery store. Paper-thin structures, they radiate from the mushroom’s stem and are the part of the mushroom that bears spores.

Another feature of golden and common chanterelles is their interior flesh. Rip or cut them open, and they should have a bright white flesh in their center. If it’s not white, if it’s yellow or pinkish, it’s not a chanterelle.

“Be very certain of what you’re picking, that you have identified it and that you know what it is,” said Mark Mandenberg, technical trails designer with the forest management division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Required as well is a healthy respect for the forest. Try not to disturb the soil — and therefore the fungus underlying it.

“I’ve heard terror stories of people going out with rakes to look for mushrooms,” said Mandenberg. “You want to make sure you are using the proper etiquette when in the woods.”

Additionally, make sure you are adequately dressed for an afternoon’s hike through the woods.

“Don’t go in the woods with flip-flops,” Mandenberg said.

Locally, look for chanterelles in mixed hardwoods with plenty of mature beeches. They will pop up mid-July through early September. The earlier it is in the season, the smaller the mushroom. Its average cap size in July measures 2 to 4 inches and increase to 6 to 8 inches through the end of the season.

— Morgan Sherburne is the features and outdoors writer for the Petoskey News-Review. Her column appears every other Saturday in the Herald Times. She can be reached at 231-439-9394 or msherburne@petoskeynews.com.